Structure, physico-mechanical properties, and radiation-shielding performance of ZnO-modified lithium sodium silicate glasses for nuclear-protection applications

Lithium sodium silicate glasses containing ZnO with nominal composition (25-x) Li 2 O- xZnO-10Na 2 O-65 SiO 2 (mol%) (Where x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mol%) were effectively synthesized using the melt quenching method. The impact of ZnO/Li 2 O replacement on the glass structure, physico-mechanical and radiation shielding performance was evaluated. Results from various physical properties, such as molar volume Vm and oxygen packing density (OPD), are consistent with a progressive change in the glass network as Li 2 O is replaced by ZnO. These trends suggest a reduction in network cohesion, though this interpretation is based on calculated physical parameters. FTIR results are consistent with ZnO incorporation into the silicate network. Zn–O bonds have lower dissociation energy than Si–O bonds, and the calculated mechanical moduli decrease with increasing ZnO content, consistent with the expanding molar volume and declining atomic packing density observed across the series. Peak deconvolution of the FTIR spectra reveals a shift in the low-frequency band from 515 cm −1 in ASZ0 to 473 cm −1 in ASZ25, consistent with increasing Zn–O vibrational contributions with ZnO content. All shielding parameters were theoretically calculated and evaluated using Phy-X/PSD software in the energy range between 0.015 and 15 MeV, and the results indicate that adding ZnO at the expense of Li 2 O leads to an improvement in the calculated shielding efficiency of the prepared glasses. The calculated photon-shielding parameters indicate that adding ZnO at the expense of Li 2 O improves the attenuation performance of the prepared glasses across the studied energy range. Experimental validation through direct gamma-ray transmission measurements is recommended in future work.